Railroad-rail and support.



A w. e. couemm. RAILROAD RAIL AND SUPPORT. APPLICATION EILED MAR. 7. 1916- RENEWED OCT. 13.1917.

1 ,2360, 14:9 Patented Mar. 19, 1918.

WILLIAM G. COUGHLIN, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILROAD-RAIL AND SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 19, 1918.

Application filed March 7, 1916, Serial No. 82,759. Renewed October 13, 1917. Serial No. 196,552.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM Gr. CoUoH- LIN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Rails and Supports, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railroad rails and particularly to compound rails in which the head or wearing portion ofthe rail is detachable from the continuous supporting member so that it may be removed and renewed without disturbing the supporting member.

It is the object of this invention to provide a rail of this class which possesses great strength and stability, which reduces the wearing action of the rail on the tie to a minimum, and which permits either the ordinary T or the double-head rail to be so used with the supporting member that the head or wearing portion of the T or doublehead rail becomes the head or wearing portion of the continuous rail.

The invention will be fully disclosed in the following description, taken in-connection with the accompanying drawings, in which, 7

Figure 1 is a side view of my improved rail mounted upon ties, as in a section of road bed; and

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the same. enlarged.

Referring to the drawing, A indicates the head member of the compound rail and B the base member. The member A as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing has two wearing portions or heads 10 and 11, connected by a web 12. the upper head 10 being directly supported by the member B, and the lower head 11 hanging freewithin the interior of the supportingmember. Instead of a double-head section. a T-section maybe used. as shown in Fig. 2 by the dotted lines.

In either case beads or ribs 13 are rolled on the web of the rail to enable'the supporting member to more securely hold the same, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

The base member B comprises a base plate 14, head supporting webs 15, 16. the former being integralwith the base plate and the latter separate therefrom. and suitablebolts hereinafter to be described, for maintaining the parts in fixed relative position. I

The-supportingweb members 15 and 16 converge upwardly from lines about mid way between the center and edges of the base, when the removable side is in its operative position, and have their upper portions thickened to constitute shoulders 17 and 18 respectively, having upper faces 19 and 20 arranged at substantially right angles to the planes of the webs 15 and 16 and forming bearing surfaces on which corresponding lower surfaces 21 and 22 of the rail head 10 are adapted to rest when the rail head is seated on the supporting base.

The removable web 16 has a broad fiat foot portion 23 which extends laterally on each side of its lower end and provides a suitable bearing surface between the web 16 and base plate 14.

The outer portion of the foot 23 has an inclined lower surface 24 which is adapted to bear upon a correspondingly inclined portion 25 of the upper surface of the base plate 14. The inclined surfaces 24 and 25 are approximately at right angles to the plane of the web 16 and parallel to the upper surface 20. The bearing surfaces 20 and 24 of the removable web 16 being thus arranged approximately at right angles to the direction in which the thrust due to the weight of a car on the rail passes from the head to the .base plate, there is no tendency on the part of this web to spread or spring sidewise. The inwardly extending portion of the foot 28 has a lower horizontal surface 26 hearing upon the upper horizontal surface 27 of the base plate 14c and these surfaces furnish additional bearing area between the foot of the removable web and the base plate.

As additional means for preventing movement of the foot 23 of the removable web 16 relatively to the baseplate 14 I have provided a series of short vertically arranged bolts 28 which pass through registering holes in the foot'and base plate. The bolts are placed near the'outer edge of the foot 23 in order that ready access maybe had to them by trackmen.

- In orderthat the shoulders 17 and 18 may firmly grip the web 12 to prevent vibration. and creeping of the rail head relativelyto the supporting member, a series of horizontally disposed bolts 29 are arranged just beneath the shoulders.

lVhen the bolts 29 are tight the upper surfaces of the'shoulders17 and 18 fit closely against the under surfaces of the rail headuand. the beads 13 on the web 12 cf:

fectively prevent the rail head from rising relatively to the supporting members.

For the purpose of giving the heads and nuts of the bolts 29 proper parallel bearing surfaces, the portions 30 and 31 of the outer surfaces of the webs 15 and 16, respectively, are made vertical.

To take care of lateral thrusts which would otherwise tend to break off the head 10, the web 15 is continued upwardly for a short'dist'ance to form a flange 32 which extends approximately half way up the side of the rail head 10. i Ihis flange forms an efiect'ive lateral support for the head, espeei'ally on curves, where the side thrust is greatest. V r

The base and head members are preferably inade- -in sections of equal length, usually thirty feet each, and when the track is laid the head and ba'semember's are arranged to break joints, the result being a strong continuous rail.- v

The base member can be secured to the cross ties by any of the methods at present in use, such as by screw spikes, nail spikes, clamps, etc., driven through the outwardly projecting portions of the base or suitably engaging them.

The 'base member not being subject to wear 'orimpingement of the wheels, is not subject or liable to fracture, and the largearea of supporting surface for the head directly under the head reduces liability to fractures a which may be induced by scams or other defec'ts, and if fracture in the head should occur the disrupted pieces will be held securely in place. Because of the manner of support of the rail head, rail heads orharder and more durable material can be used, re-

sulting in economy from their longer wear. Renewals of the rail heads can be made withoutdisturbing the base or support on the cross ties, thus avoiding the removal or replacement of the 'fastenin'gs, and thereby" prolonging the life of the cross ties. In my compound rail a greater area of support to the rail head is obtained than it is practicable to secure with a'T-rail resting directly on the ties andbecause of the inclined flanges of the supporting member the weight or load is im'ore uniformly and widely distributed over the base of the support and thence over 'a greater'area' of the cross ties than it is possible to accomplish with the T-rails now commonly used.

To lin -up the advantages of my invention, it w'll-be appar nt that the rail head has a large area of direct support-on the shoulders'l'Y, 18 and great lateral support due to engagement of the web 12 by the shoulders and the flange 32. Lateral stability is also increased by making the outer heating surface 19 slightly higher than the inner 'bearing surface 20, thus sloping the tread upper surfaced the r'ai l slightly toward the center of the track to counteract the outward thrust of the wheels. The outwardly flaring supporting webs distribute the load over a wide area, the base 14: being preferably about twiceas wide as the distance between the lower parts of the webs. 7

This distributes the loads over a large area of the ties, and tie plates maybe dispensed with without detriment to wooden ties, T- rails may be joined to the double head rails, within the continuous supporting member,

in track work, without difiiculty, and such T- rails may also be joined to other T-rails,

resting directly upon cross-ties, which is de faces of the head and to the central web,

a base plate adapted to rest on the ties, one of said'webs having its lower edge integral with the base" plate and the other of said webs being detachably'secured to said base plate, saidbase plate extending laterally beyond the webs on both sides.

2. A compound rail comprising a head member and a base member, the head member comprising a double headed rail, the heads thereof being connected by a web provided'with longitudinal ribs, and the base member having upwardly converging .webs the upper portions of which are adapted to fit the under surfaces of the rail heads. and

said ribs, and a base plate adapted'to rest' on the ties, one of said webs having its lower edge integral with the base plate, and-the other of said webs being detachably secured to said base plate, said [base plate extending laterally beyond the webs on both sides.

' 3. A compound rail comprising a head m embe-r and a base member,-the head member comprising a head proper having downwardly" and inwardly inclined under a surfaces terminating-in a downwardly project- 'ing central web and the base member having upwardly"converging webs, the upper lport ions o'f'whicha-re tittedto the under sure faces of the head and to the central web,.a base plate adaptedto rest on the ties, one of saidjwebs having its lower edge integral with the base plate and the other of said Webs said latter web having surfaces which are substantially parallehand fitted to bearing surfaces of the head and base and said base "being'detachably secured to said'ba'se plate,

member and a base member, the head member comprising a head proper having bearing surfaces underneath on opposite sides terminating in a downwardly projecting central web, and the base member having upwardly convergin webs, the upper portions of which are fitted to the under surfaces of the head and to the central Web, and a base plate adapted to rest on the ties, one of said webs having its lower edge integral with the base plate and the other of said webs being detachably secured to said base plate, one of said webs having a flange extending above the bottom of the rail and fitted to one side of the rail head to afford additional lateral support.

5. A compound rail comprising a head member and a base member, the head member comprising a head proper having bearing surfaces underneath on opposite sides terminating in a downwardly projecting central web, said central web being provided with a pair of longitudinally extending ribs and the base member having upwardly converging webs, the upper portions of which are fitted to the under surfaces of the head and to the central web above said longitudinal ribs, a base plate adapted to rest on the ties, one of said webs having its lower edge integral with the base plate and the other of said webs being detachably secured to said base plate, said base plate extending laterally beyond the webs on both sides.

6. A compound rail comprising a head member and a base member, the head member comprising a head proper having bearing surfaces underneath on opposite sides terminating in a downwardly projecting central web, and the base member having upwardly converging webs, the upper portions of which are fitted to the under surfaces of the head and to the central web, a series of horizontally disposed bolts connectin and holding the upper portions of said wedos against said central web, a base plate adapted to rest on the ties, one of said webs having its lower edge integral with the base plate and the other of said webs being detachably secured to said base plate and a series of vertically disposed bolts holding the foot of said removable web in fixed relation to said base plate, said base plate extending laterally beyond the webs on both sides.

7. A compound rail comprising a head member and a base member, the head member comprising a head proper having downwardly and inwardly inclined under surfaces terminating in a downwardly projecting central web and the base member having upwardly converging webs, the upper portions of which are fitted to the under surfaces of the head and to the central web, one of said webs having aflange extending above the bottom of the head and fitted to one side of the rail head to afford additional lateral support, a base plate adapted to rest on the ties, one of said webs having its lower edge integral with the base plate and the other of said webs being det-achably secured to said base plate, said latter web having surfaces which are substantially parallel and fitted to bearing surfaces of the head and base and said base plate extending laterally beyond the webs on both sides.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

lVILLIAM G. COUGHLIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

